


But I Thought

by BattlingBard



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-07-11 20:57:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15980360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BattlingBard/pseuds/BattlingBard
Summary: Lena fully believes that Kara is Supergirl, and that the hero is just waiting for the right time to tell her the truth. But when Kara blows out her powers and spends that day with Lena, the CEO misunderstands her sudden frailty.





	But I Thought

Lena is smart. No. Lena is highly intelligent and a certified genius.

Glasses cannot keep her from seeing the truth when she is privileged to be in the presence of Supergirl and Kara Danvers regularly. Such a simple disguise just doesn’t work on best friends.

Yes, Lena Luthor knows Kara Danvers is Supergirl.

She didn’t know right away, but she began piling up evidence early on in their relationship. Walking into Lena’s office behind Clark Kent and talking about Supergirl was Kara’s first mistake. There were many mistakes.

The alien detection device was a test in more than one way. Lena can recognize a flustered woman easily. Kara’s obvious hesitation to simply let the device scan her finger was another point under the “Kara Danvers is Supergirl” column. The negative result was a point against her claim, but Lena needed more evidence to be convinced one way or the other. Later, she had opened the device to see some slight damage. Another point went toward Lena’s belief that Kara is Supergirl.

From there, the evidence simply became too overwhelming. Kara Danvers is Supergirl.

Lena, with all her intellect, is fully convinced that Kara is simply waiting to tell her when she feels it’s the right time. For a while, Lena felt hurt, but, logically, she knows it’s not her secret to tell. It’s difficult to believe someone is only acting like a friend after everything Lena has been through with Kara. The woman has unwavering faith in Lena, and she always swoops in when she needs her. Her, Supergirl, or her, Kara. After the first time she fell asleep on Kara’s couch to wake up on her bed the next morning, Lena knew this is a real friendship.

Thus, Lena decides to wait.

Sure, she enjoys occasionally saying things that she knows will get a flustered reaction from Kara, but that’s purely friendly teasing… Okay, maybe it’s a little on the flirty side, but Kara doesn’t seem to mind. As a matter of fact, Lena believes Kara flirts back on occasion.

Speaking of Kara…

“Hello?” Lena answers the phone with a smile.

“Lena! Hey!” The smile can be heard in Kara’s voice, bringing a smile onto Lena’s face. “Are you busy today?”

“Well, I’m at L-Corp. I was-”

“What? No! Lena, it’s Saturday.”

“You should be used to this by now.”

“And you should be used to me saving you by now. Come downstairs. Let’s have a best friends day.”

“You knew I was at L-Corp.” It’s not a question.

“I know  **you** , Lena. Now, come on. It’s cold out here.”

“Are you wearing a jacket?”

“Um. Yes, I am. But I’m getting cold from standing still, waiting for you.”

“Fine, fine.” Lena gathers her things to leave. “Just promise me this best friends day doesn’t include an obscene amount of greasy food.”

“But Lena-”

“Or I will make you eat a cup of kale for every greasy thing you make me eat.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would.”

Kara groans. “Fine. Are you coming down yet or not?”

“I’m about to step out of the elevator. You certainly are impatient today.” The elevator dings open, and Lena steps out into the lobby. She assumes Kara can hear her coming, but when she looks out the glass doors, she sees Kara’s back facing her.

“I’m not impatient. I just miss you.”

Lena opens the door and steps out onto the sidewalk. “Well, aren’t you sweet.”

Kara whirls around with wide eyes. “Lena! That was fast!”

They both pocket their cell phones, and Kara pulls Lena into a hug. Lena notices that Kara hugs her tighter than usual. “You were complaining about waiting, and now you are surprised that I came down straight away?” Lena teases her.

“I wasn’t complaining,” Kara says when she pulls away from the hug.

“Sure, you weren’t.”

Kara playfully rolls her eyes. “Are you ready?”

“Are you going to tell me what we’re doing?”

Linking her arm through Lena’s, Kara begins leading her down the sidewalk. “Whatever we want.”

“Well is it safe to assume that you are hungry?”

“Actually… I’m not really. I ate breakfast with my sister not that long ago. Are you?”

“Kara Danvers isn’t hungry?” Lena asks in an exaggerated shocked tone.

Kara nudges Lena with the arm linked with hers. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“No, Kara. I’m not hungry.”

“Cool, so is there anything you’ve wanted to do since moving here, but haven’t gotten a chance to?”

Lena thinks for a moment. A few less platonic activities come to mind, but she keeps those to herself. “I can’t say that I know too many fun or social activities around the city. How about you suggest something?”

Kara hums as she thinks. Suddenly, her eyes brighten. “There’s one of those places for adults that has arcades and mini golf and go carts and all that! I’ve never been able to go, but I’ve always wanted to.”

Lena wants to ask why, but she assumes the answer has to do with difficulty controlling her powers enough to actually enjoy any of those activities. “I’m glad I didn’t wear heels today.”

The place is surprisingly empty for a Saturday. The first thing Kara does when they get inside is drag Lena to a game with a mallet and odd creatures popping out of holes. “I’ve always wanted to try this game!” Kara is absolutely beaming.

Biting her lip, Lena watches the pure joy on Kara’s face as she starts the game. They take turns playing several rounds, collecting a decent amount of tickets. Kara’s reflexes shock Lena with how much she must be slowing them down. Lena believes Kara doesn’t want an unfair advantage or to show her powers. After Lena’s awkward attempt, she hands the mallet back to Kara.

“Okay,” Kara says with a determined expression. “I’m going to beat the high score.” The game signals its start, and Kara begins slamming the mallet down on the game with force. Lena is laughing at her friend’s antics.

“Over there!” Lena points out another head popping out of a hole.

Kara awkwardly reaches across her body, swinging the mallet. She hits the board with too much force, and the mallet comes recoiling back straight at her face. Unable to move her face in time, Kara is slapped in the cheek with the mallet.

“Ow! Darn!” Kara drops the mallet to bring her hands to her feet. “Ouch!”

With wide eyes, Lena rushes to Kara’s side, bringing her hands up to Kara’s face. “Kara? Oh my god! Are you okay?” She’s biting back a smile, knowing Kara is perfectly fine. A bullet can bounce off of her eye, and she wouldn’t feel a thing.

Doubling over with her hands pressed to the left side of her face, Kara mumbles into her hand.

“I can’t understand you, Kara.” Lena has a hand on Kara’s back.

“I said this really hurts.” Kara straightens, but keeps her hands on her face.

Lena’s eyebrows scrunch together in worry. “Let me see.” She tugs at Kara’s hands that easily move with her pull. “Oh… Kara…” Lena’s voice is a whisper. She gently places her palm next to the redness on Kara’s face. Her concern for Kara is overshadowing her confusion at how some rubber could injure the Girl of Steel. Her fingers gently trace the outline of what will likely be a large bruise in a day or two. “Let’s go put some ice on that.” Lena holds the ice to Kara’s cheek until Kara is squirming to go have more fun. The CEO is sure Kara will be more careful.

Kara isn’t more careful.

On the way to mini golf, Kara trips over a ball. Lena is too far to do anything, but, as she watches Kara fall toward a wall, she quickly thinks of an excuse to give to the manager when a Supergirl-sized hole is left in the wall.

There is no Supergirl-sized hole.

Instead, Kara gets a nosebleed.

Lena no longer believes Kara is Supergirl.

“Kara, are you sure you don’t want to go somewhere a little more… um, accident proof?” Lena asks while she holds napkins to Kara’s nose.

“But Lena… we haven’t even gone on the go-karts.” Kara looks completely devastated.

“You’re not going to crash them, are you?” Lena gives her a skeptical raised eyebrow.

“I can drive!” Kara insists a little too defensively, and Lena believes this is an argument she has made before.

“You can also walk, but that didn’t keep you from crashing into a wall and nearly breaking your nose.”

Kara’s mouth opens and closes as she tries to find something to say. She pulls Lena’s hand from her face. “I won’t crash. I promise.”

After inspecting Kara’s nose, Lena nods. “Fine, but I am taking you straight home if you end up hurting yourself again.”

She gets hurt again.

“Okay, but hear me out, Lena. Technically, you said if I hurt myself. I didn’t hurt myself. It was that kid.”

“Kara… He ran over your foot. You can barely walk. How do expect to run around in a dark room?"

“It’s not broken though!”

“Kara!” Lena is beyond exasperated. “I’ve never played laser tag before, but I’m sure trying to play while hopping on one foot is not efficient.”

“I’m not hopping.” Kara crosses her arms over her chest, sitting back in her chair.

“If I agree to buy you potstickers and pizza and watch that movie you adore, will you please let me take you home?”

Kara purses her lips as she considers the offer. “Fine, but can we get ice cream, too?”

Lena adjusts to knowing Kara isn’t Supergirl after a couple of weeks. Kara finally gets Lena to play laser tag with her. Lena spends most of the game worried about finding Kara stuck or hurt somewhere. To her surprise, Kara ends the game with a bright smile and not a single scratch.

They soon begin having lunch together every day, and Lena’s feelings for Kara only grow. After a pleasant Sunday brunch, the two women take a walk in a park. Lena’s breath catches in her throat when Kara interlaces their fingers together. They had been partaking in more physical contact lately, but holding hands in public is new. Lena stops their walk halfway across a bridge, ignoring how cliche the moment is. Her eyes find a turtle gliding through the water below them. Their silence is comfortable.

“Lena?” Kara whispers after a few minutes.

Humming in question, Lena keeps her eyes on the water. Kara turns to lean her side against the railing of the bridge, so she can fully face Lena. When Lena looks over her shoulder at Kara, she sees the older woman biting her lip shyly. “Is everything okay?” Lena turns to face Kara.

“Um. Yes. No. Sorta. I hope so. I’m… Lena…” She takes a step closer and rests a hand on one of Lena’s that’s resting on the railing. “Would you like to have dinner with me… out to a restaurant… just the two of us… on… on a date?”

Lena’s entire demeanor brightens. “I would love to,” she breathes out.

At the end of the date, Kara walks Lena to the door of her apartment. “I… This was an amazing night, Lena.”

“It was.”

“W-would you like to do it again?” Kara asks shyly.

“Absolutely, but I’m taking you out this time.”

Kara’s smile grows. “It’s a date.” She looks down at Lena’s lips.

Lena bites her lip when she sees where Kara’s eyes drifted to. She raises a hand to cup Kara’s cheek before leaning in to place a kiss on Kara’s lips. Kara deepens the kiss, and they both melt into one another.

Several weeks after their first date, Supergirl rescues Lena just in time. Lena thanks her and asks to be taken home. As soon as she walks into her apartment from the balcony, there’s a knock on her door.

“Kara?”

Kara wraps her in a hug, and Lena lets herself feel the swirl of emotions from the night. “I’ve got you, Lena.”

They wrap themselves together in a blanket on the couch and share words of comfort. Kara holds Lena to her. Lena doesn’t know how long they have been sitting there, but she finally relaxes into Kara’s touch. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I’ll always be here for you, Lena.”

Lena smiles from her spot tucked under Kara’s chin. She pulls back after a moment to look at Kara. After a moment of searching Kara’s eyes, she kisses her with everything she feels for Kara. “You’re my hero.”

Kara swallows thickly, and Lena feels her tense. “Lena… I, uh, want to ask you something, but there’s something I have been wanting to share with you first.” She smiles to ensure Lena that this isn’t a bad thing.

“You can tell me anything, dear.” Lena brushes her fingers over Kara’s cheek.

“Lena… I was so scared I was going to lose you today. I have been wanting to tell you this since before we started dating, but I was worried your mother would use it against you because she knows. I couldn’t… can’t live with myself if anything happens to you.” Her grip around Lena tightens, but she breaks eye contact. “I’m Supergirl.”

The answering silence stretches for several minutes. “What?” Lena’s eyes are wide.

Kara extricates herself from her hold on Lena, standing up to begin pacing. “I know you probably have a lot of questions. But, to be honest, for a while there, I thought you knew. You would always say these things… I thought you knew and were just teasing me. Obviously, I trust you and care about you and lo- want to be with you. I just didn’t want this to be another thing your mother uses to hurt you. You not knowing I’m Supergirl meant you were dating Kara Danvers. There’s a huge difference.”

“Kara.” Lena is smirking.

“Yes?” She stops her pacing to look at Lena.

Lena stands up and walks to Kara. “What are you doing?”

“I- I’m trying to, um, come out to you.”

Raising an eyebrow, Lena’s smirk grows. “Darling, any questions of your sexual orientation were answered for me that first night we spent together.”

Kara’s cheeks color, but she continues talking. “Not that kind of coming out, Lena. The secret identity kind of coming out. I wanted you to know before I asked you to be my girlfriend.”

“I would love to be your girlfriend, Kara.” She kisses her deeply. When she pulls back, Kara’s eyes slowly blink open. “But there’s no way that you are Supergirl.”

Kara’s mouth falls open. “What?”

“I won’t lie… I used to think you were her.”

“Used to?” Kara’s eyes are wide.

“You two look alike, and there were some coincidences.”

“But?”

“But I have seen you with a black eye, two nosebleeds, an almost broken foot, and a paper cut from a takeout bag.”

“Oh Rao!” Kara throws up her hands and steps back from Lena. Exasperation fills her voice. “That? That’s why you stopped believing I’m Supergirl? Because of one clumsy day?”

“Kara, it was more than just you being clumsy. How can you be Supergirl if a flimsy paper bag broke your skin?”

Kara lets out a heavy breath. “I had a solar flare that day.”

“A what?”

“It’s when I blow out my powers, and I have to either take time to recharge or have the Kryptonian version of an adrenaline rush.”

Lena narrows her eyes. “Nope… I still don’t see it.”

Kara groans and storms to the balcony. “Fine.”

“Kara, what are you doing?” She follows Kara.

“Proving it to you,” Kara grumbles before opening the door to the balcony.

“What… Kara, no. Stop.” Lena reaches out to grab Kara’s arm, but she jumps onto the railing of the balcony. “Kara! Get down! Kara!” She rushes to the railing when Kara simply falls back with her arms outstretched.

“Believe me now?” Kara asks when she pops back up in front of Lena, floating several feet in front of the balcony.

Lena stumbles backward with a hand coming to her mouth. “Oh my god. I had sex with Supergirl and didn’t even know.”

“Really? That’s what you’re taking from this?”


End file.
